Three Minutes Clapping
by AnHeiressofaSOLDIER
Summary: Sora and Kairi are fading fast, and Roxas and Naminé-after having just assimilated with them-are desperate to save all four of their lives. When Naminé has a vision she thinks can help sustain them, and end whatever Xehanort may be planning, Roxas is quick to follow her lead. There's just one problem, though: the two of them hate each other. And they begin learning too much fast.


**Author's Note: About this story: it's the continuation of something I wrote just after KHII had come out, and then posted on Xanga (yeah: the fact that it was on Xanga tells you how old the idea really is).**

**Unfortunately, I don't have access to the Xanga file anymore—and I didn't feel like writing the first chapter again—so I kinda just continued where I'd left off, and hinted at stuff from that part in this one.**

**Basically? This takes place right after Roxas and Naminé assimilate with Sora and Kairi at the end of KHII.**

**The two of them wake up—in a space shared between Sora and Kairi's hearts, I guess—in things that look very much like the memory pod that Sora slept in.**

**And since Roxas actually woke up first, he actually knew more things than Nami did for a change, and seemed to enjoy that fact, as he got to help her figure out things and stuff.**

**However, something then happens to Sora and Kairi, sending them out of commission: something that Rox and Nam instantly know threatens the worlds as a whole, that only Sora and Kairi could only hope to stop.**

**The Dreamscape that they'd been in (that allowed them to revisit old memories' of their own alongside each other, and to stay there for a time) is ruptured, and Roxas and Naminé themselves start disappearing into static.**

**The chapter ends with them wondering how they're going to save Sora and Kairi, save the worlds, and even save themselves—when Sora and Kairi are fading fast, and Roxas and Nami are stuck inside of them, unable to call anyone for help.**

**And it's a little while after that happens that this story picks up. **

**I should specify that this story is an UA (Universe Alteration), which means that it takes place in the same universe as canon, but with some changes. **

**Like, everything up to KHII is canon here, but everything after it begins changing—though some things from the later games might still be referenced and part of the story (like BbS, Xehanort's schemes in DDD, etc.)**

**Anyway, onto the story! And for more information, see my bottom AN after you've read this whole thing. Thanks!**

**Also, major "The World Ends With You" spoilers abound, so proceed with caution, if you've yet to play/finish that game, and don't want to be spoiled for it.**

**Three Minutes Clapping**

**1.**

Images kept flashing in front of Naminé's eyes; and as it was oft to happen, she would painstakingly get one of the visions to go away, but only for another to show up in its place.

Screwing her eyes shut in concentration, but mostly fear—yes, there was always fear where she was concerned—the Nobody dug her nails into her arm until blood began pooling beneath the surface.

The color of the blood: it was very much the color of a certain mother she'd seen's hair.

The said woman, that Nami and her companion were currently trying to find, also had a husband, with graying hair, but what mattered more than anything were their two children.

The one, the boy, Naminé knew—as she traversed over somewhat hilly and rainy terrain with Roxas—looked so much like Sora, but yet so different, with his brunet hair.

What, then, should else be fitting, than for the girl—the daughter—to have hair the color of her own? The blonde Nobody wondered.

All of these things that she was seeing... were memories that Naminé knew she should have had no access to. It was a mistake.

They were still very much tied to _her_ own future memories, though; Naminé could after all clearly sense her own essence in the recollections' of the four.

And yet… there was no way that they should have been hers at all... Even if she did have the keen feeling that she was somewhat predicting the future.

It wouldn't have been the first time for Naminé, either, but she tried not to think on that…

Still, whether it was just a phantom future or not, Naminé felt strongly that was her duty to relieve the mother she'd seen of her impending pain: a pain that the memory witch could feel so plainly in the future memories.

Maybe… maybe it was her duty to protect this phantom future, the way that Sora had once protected their phantom promise together?

Yes, Nami decided, as she paused momentarily in her stride to clap her hands together. Sora was guiding her to do this somehow. And despite what had befallen him and Kairi both before all of this, the witch had to believe that this was the answer. She had to. She wouldn't _allow_ herself to look into any other option.

"Naminé!" Roxas finally exclaimed desperately—pulling the girl out of her thoughts by tugging on her arm urgently, but only to once again bring her consciousness to the murky area around them that she hated so much.

Also… Roxas' strength was such, that it instantly allowed pain to begin shooting up Naminé's arm from where he had touched her; it wasn't at all unlike the way that the Darkness wormed its way into one's heart.

Still… as Nami had practically done in that arm herself, from the way she'd been digging her fingers into it, Roxas' touch felt near as light as a feather in comparison.

She had- she had had a fit, it seemed. But as to why, Naminé could only begin to fathom.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no_, _I see where this is going now__,_ Naminé thought desperately then, as she got to her feet from where she must have fallen at some point, and pushed Roxas away from her rather roughly.

For her actions, the girl took a moment to shoot her fellow Nobody an apologetic look, when his eyes locked on hers with what looked like shock and pain in their expression.

It really hadn't been his fault that he'd "manhandled" her the way that the other members of the Organization had (which had served to cause her panic attack). He had only been trying to help, Nami tried to reason with herself.

_But_ there was nothing for it. Because as she chewed on her bottom lip, and knitted her fingers against her lap in a gravely fashion, Naminé knew she'd stumbled upon something as big as the memories of Ventus in Sora's heart (not that Naminé was about to tell Roxas _anything_ about Ventus yet, when he was still trying to recover from the blow that his existence actually belonged to _one_ other person).

There was also no denying that she'd just stumbled upon something that made the worlds' existence hang precariously in the balance:

For all her decisions of "never manipulating memories again" Naminé had surely fallen into the trap laid out in front of her. Just what was her problem?! Naminé demanded of herself, whilst she clutched her head in dread and agony

And why... Why did she feel as though that everything that was about to happen with the Diffys had to do with her? Her! A ghost of a girl. It couldn't be, could i-

"I dunno what you're planning, Naminé," Roxas began curtly then—pulling away from the girl he'd just been trying to comfort, and raising his nose up snootily; just then, the rain and lightning strengthened above the duo, and Roxas' orange locks became plastered to his face, seeming to aggravate him even moreso. "But I'm not staying around here when things are like this. Not when I can feel Sora's failing heart in distress. There's just no way."

And the betrayed anger in Roxas' voice was so much that Naminé could only retreat to the former, more timid self that she had been; looking down at her sky blue sandals—the only things of color that she ever wore—she once again began her personal mantra of always apologizing to people. "I'm sorry, Roxas. But please… still take me with you."

Though Naminé tried to hide it away from Roxas (they were only just beginning to even semi get along, after all), the truth was that the words she had spoken...

Well, it ended up tripping the young girl up from where she had been.

And grimacing at that sad truth, Naminé had to wonder why she was always stuck in the same cycles of making mistake after mistake, only to apologize after the fact, but… perhaps that was just what it was to be a Nobody.

And if that were the case, then the blonde could only be glad that she had deemed it necessary to return herself to Kairi. And to think she'd actually questioned that decision once on Sunset Hill.

And, of course, just as Naminé thought of the place, a perfect imitation of its location appeared both in her and Roxas' mind's eye.

If she looked just so, Naminé could almost imagine that Riku—in the guise of Ansem—was going to save her from DiZ again. And just over there—away from them, and summoning a Corridor of Darkness in her memory—maybe the elusive Axel (who had once been kind enough to teach Naminé how to make her own Dark Corridors) was dreaming of teaching her that same again.

The autumn colors that swirled about in Naminé's mind—and therefore even Roxas', because of their connections to the intertwined Sora and Kairi—were truly gorgeous, as they caused sand to be kicked up amongst them, and imprinted the earthy smell into her mind forever.

Almost feeling as though she _was _on the reliable sanctuary that had been Sunset Hill for her, Naminé found that she could almost feel her sketchbook's weight digging into her legs from back then: she could recall having been freed from her work with Sora's memorie-

"I know what you're thinking, Naminé," Roxas muttered upon landing more... understanding eyes upon Naminé.

With his words, and with his understanding of what she was making him see now, Roxas caused the scene in their mind to flip back to what it had been before: their new reality.

_Right, before_, Naminé thought, deflated. _That time where I was in my own body is just a dream now, and so is the idea that Roxas would want to understand its meaning with me, I guess_.

But deciding that she wasn't going to let this new acknowledgment derail her, like similar things had in the past, the blonde girl found that she had to share a small smile for where she and Roxas had been before this had happened.

It seemed as though the Memory Plane, where she and Roxas had first ended up and met after assimilating with Sora and Kairi, was still up in running in some form—even without the true creators of it to power it.

That was definitely a good sign; the best they'd had in a while, Naminé thought appreciatively, as she began heading through a crop of woods to what looked like a playground before them.

And if she found a way to focus all of her thoughts onto the Memory Plane, Naminé knew that she could do anything… maybe even not be so alone anymore, if she dared think it. Maybe- she could even eat ice cream the way that Hayner, Pence, and Olette were with Roxas in his own memory.

And holding onto that one merry thought, Naminé decided that she wouldn't even mind in the slightest if a version of Axel ended up being there. He and Roxas _were_ best friends, weren't they? In which case, it made sense that her twin Nobody might want to revisit a particular memory with the pyro, Nami thought (nearly crashing into a tree that seemed so much harsher and more substantial than the ones back at the Old Mansion did).

And it was with that last thought, that Naminé found she was once again _so_ easily pulled back into her former downfall, despite her best efforts not to be.

In fact, Roxas' own concerned eyes locked onto her own foggy looking ones—as she still felt lost to her thoughts—and as such, Naminé thought that she really _was_ blind. For that, and for so many other reasons.

She always made mistakes, didn't she? Even when—even when she knew there would be consequences for them.

But for the way that Nami now found Roxas holding onto her hand—as if to guide her—Naminé suddenly decided then and there, that she'd never make another faux pas to hurt anyone again. Never, and no matter what.

But unaware of Naminé's thoughts—or maybe actually completely aware, since they were in their shared dreamscape—Roxas told Naminé something she had only scarcely dreamed of hearing. She had expected it from his Other, maybe, as Sora loved everyone, but… She'd never even stopped to believe that she might come to hear it from the bolder boy.

And somehow, his own forgiveness—that was so much harder to get, and therefore more rare than Sora's own—made Naminé appreciate him all the more. "I'm sorry, Naminé," Roxas said sheepishly—pushing a bang out of his face, like she had seen Cloud do from one of Sora's memories. If she hadn't been so psychologically damaged, Nami thought that she might have giggled on the spot for the similarity. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you earlier, when you pushed me away. As I understand it, you have plentyof reason to want to _defend_ yourself. Though personally… I just don't like seeing you on the _offensive_...

"I mean, I somewhat blamed you for getting me in this bizarre place and situation. Sometimes… I even fear what you can do to me with your powers, Naminé. I know that shouldn't; You're better than all of us—even when Sora and Kairi are currently crashing down around us, you'd rather stay in the wreckage with them, and help them out, instead of taking their lives up for grabs for you, and I- I don't know if I could say the same."

Somewhere during his admittance, Roxas had let go of Naminé's hand. And Naminé—who had been desperate to hold onto it, to prove that maybe his actions still highlighted his apology, even if his words nulled it—let him do so.

And as Roxas turned away from her, Naminé noticed that he set a very lost look upon the area that had turned pristine white around them again.

And even though white was her signature color (and Naminé suspected that she probably _was_ the one altering their shared dream, since she had mental powers where as Roxas didn't), she knew that—as Roxas' speech had hinted at—he was at least _trying_ not to see this as her lair anymore.

He wasn't seeing her with unlimited power—or in control of everything, like he'd used to—or anything like that.

And as Roxas once again took the initiative, in leading the way to their destiny (and Naminé internally wondered if maybe he'd been right to stand up for her some, and that maybe she shouldn't have been holding herself responsible for as much), she recalled the good time she'd had, though fleeting, when Roxas had earlier pulled her out of her own memory pod and into his dream.

He'd been so affectionate, then, when he'd tried to guess at things, and understand things better than her former corporeal self had.

They'd… gotten to know each other a little better in that moment, when they'd somewhat gone through each other's memories.

And even after they'd felt a wall form between them, separating them, and putting Sora and Kairi in jeopardy, Roxas had still vowed to protect Naminé and figure everything out himself.

Roxas, despite everything and despite his qualms- _he_ truly was a good person, Naminé had witnessed firsthand. As much as Naminé wanted to believe the same thing about herself, she simply couldn't be sure of anything.

She was holding a trump card about who Roxas really was, of course. So how was it even right that she look him in the eye?

And the way that he was now looking into her eyes so sincerely and kindly now—or at least trying for those moments, which was a start, after he'd begun to recall stuff—made Naminé either want to throw herself under a bus or confess everything.

But in the end, she knew that she could do neither, because if she told Roxas the truth about himself, she wouldn't be able to ignore the truth she was suddenly beginning to suspect about herself. It was a horrible thing, to be sure, but it was as it was.

Naminé had never tried to be anything other than horrible, and maybe- maybe that was a good thing. She couldn't even _attempt_ to be good, anyway. Yen Sid had been right. When he'd said Nobodies could only pretended to have hearts, and any sympathy that Naminé found herself "feeling" towards Roxas was nothing but a lie.

And technically, so was the fear she now felt clawing in the back of her throat and constricting her airways: but that was where the horrible part of her came in, she supposed. Even if what she was feeling now _was_ fake—and therefore didn't matter in the long run—she would have much rather had Roxas suffer than herself.

Sure, she tried to make herself feel better, by reminding herself that Roxas had no idea about _it_, and therefore he couldn't be hurting in missing the memory (and maybe, she was even saving him some grief, by keeping her mouth shut about something neither of them could do anything about, anyway), but that- that was just a lie like everything else, wasn't it?

A lie? Or an omission? Honestly, the white witch couldn't even tell the difference between the two anymore, let alone could she make it through the tangled web of lies that she'd weaved. And yet… she tried even so.

And so, Naminé regarded Roxas with a small smile for his tale, and she wound her own hand into his.

Simply, and with artificiality directing her every action, she told him, "Thank you, Roxas. I mean that; I can't thank you enough." And though she may have choked up at the last bit, Naminé didn't even notice, for: she was too reliant on her own beliefs about her "imaginary" heart, to see the real truth that she herself was hiding from.

And in that moment, as a squirrel scurried up the girl's arm-almost in another attempt to keep her from completing her quest, it seemed-Roxas' words from earlier echoed into Naminé's head, but she squarely ignored them.

_You have to stop living in the past, Naminé_, he had said just a few days ago._You taught me that. So now, let me teach it to _you_. __In the end all that matters is the path that you took: not the results of said path__._ Once again, that was something that the female Nobody very much wanted to have faith in, but she simply wouldn't allow herself to.

Then, as Roxas wrapped an arm around Naminé-and used his Keyblade to break part of the Memory Plane, that they'd somewhat unwittingly encased themselves into-Naminé tried very hard not to think about how the mind of her Somebody, Kairi, seemed to be cracking with Roxas' effort.

But thankfully, before the girl could dwell on it anymore, a ray of Light came up and took the two away like it often did Keyblade wielders. And with it completely taking her to the outside world-and maybe even giving her her own body again, if only temporarily-Naminé ended up losing consciousness. And with it, Naminé left all of her false regrets behind.

If only for a moment.

_Roxas, I'm sorry, but if I were to let you know the truth, the strength you exhibit-the strength I myself use to lean on-would be erased from this world. And I can't have that, so instead I'll keep her former life a secret from you_. _Forever, if I have to_.

…

When she awoke, Naminé found that her face was hidden behind Roxas' shoulder. And it looked as though she hadn't been able to hide her inner shame while hiding, after all-wasn't that why she'd hidden herself in such a way?

Eventually, though-and with much effort-Naminé was able to leave that self-loathing thought behind, so that she could focus on the task ahead of them.

Turning away from all the people facing her-as it looked like they'd finally made it to the playground they'd been heading for for real this time-Naminé activated her false, cheery voice, and by doing so speared a dagger through her own heart, like she had when she'd offered to let Sora forget her.

But none of the people were the wiser to that.

But that didn't stop the folks around them for putting her and Roxas into a dire situation.

Not only were their Somebodies seeming to be completely out of commission now, but their bodies actually seemed to be tethered to Roxas and Naminé now, which meant that if they wanted to do anything to help the pair, the twins would literally (but hopefully not, because hopefully they'd find a way to save Sora and Kairi) have to carry around the dead weight now.

And seeming to be in perfect sync for once, Naminé and Roxas shared a quick, panicked look with each other, before they both tried to come up with some way to make their others temporarily go away. After all, passersby were giving them suspicious looks for the two they were chained to all ready.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face (how Naminé wished that she had a headband to hold her hair back, like the one she'd drawn in her most recent picture), Naminé kneeled down on the pebbled bike path below her, and tried to use her power over memories to somehow make Sora fade into Roxas for a change, as well as to make Kairi disappear into her. Maybe if she could just recall how she'd willingly gone into Kairi, and then reverse the process?

Except there were no dice, it seemed. And as it was, Naminé was all ready beginning to lose focus on her idea. She didn't even have it within herself to gently coax Roxas to dismiss his Keyblade (that was currently drawing in weird boys, who wore their pants beneath their boxers).

Blushing madly because of the intruders, Naminé thought that maybe it _would_ just be best if she fell to the static making her heart burn-because if she was really going to come apart because of something this ridiculous, what hope did she have against the Heartless and things?-and maybe even remember the time when she'd, unfortunately, made static appear when she'd been reappearing Sora's memories.

Could she- could she ever do right by Sora? Naminé demanded of herself. If he'd- if he'd felt even the_ tiniest_ bit of the excruciating pain she did now, then she knew she'd never make up for all the trouble she'd caused hi-

Wait a minute: this thing with the static, had it caused Kairi's own affliction?!

That idea seemed about right to the white witch, and if she hadn't been about to be attacked by the new world's denizens, she thought she probably would have been jumping up and down at the prospect…

Roxas seemed to have a different idea, though, if the murderous look that gleamed in his eyes was anything to go by. Naminé sighed. But at least he wasn't glowering at _her_ this time, right? That was at least a good thing.

Anyway, Naminé thought-all the while that she began accessing her memory magic, in case she needed to use her magic to affect these people with it to protect herself, in a worst case scenario-since she technically _was_ Kairi, it wouldn't have been that big of a stretch to assume that Kairi and her would feel much of the same thing, would it (even if she wasn't as good as a person as Kairi was by any standard, and hated the idea of comparing herself to her for many a reason)?

She… really shouldn't have been thinking such things at a time like this, though. Like right now, a boy with darker skin than Nami had ever seen before-and brandishing a baseball bat-was eagerly coming upon them, as if he thought attacking the duo would lead to his intermediary weapon becoming a Keyblade or something.

Curling her hand into a fist, like she had at the Castle That Never Was, Naminé found herself very much wanting to punch the guy out-the way that the sky had opened up to darkness behind that boy in particular also seemed to be a sign that he was bad news-but she quickly restrained herself, and opted to hurt _herself_ with it again.

She'd hurt- she'd hurt enough people in her very short lifetime, and this would be part of her compensation for the fact. So, no. She wouldn't attack this nameless boy in any way, even if he did seem to deserve it.

And as for Roxas... He was only just starting to trust her, even though he was mistaken to do any that. But as it stood, Naminé didn't want to give him any more reason to distrust her, or any more reason for her to hate herself.

So instead of going on the offensive, Naminé just chose to give the fighter of their little group important information, thinking it would be better to aid Roxas against this-like how she'd aided with words Sora against Marluxia-than to do anything else. "Roxas, I think I figured out what's up with the static. And in that, I think I know what must have happened during the fight with Xemnas that led to Sora and Kairi being like this."

Though Naminé said this pleasantly enough, and with enough amazement in her voice, her tone fell a little bit flat, when she found that maybe she should have been telling Roxas to temporarily get rid of his Keyblade-so as to ward the coming instigators off-but did no such thing, for fear for her own person.

But seeming to sense where Naminé's thoughts were really at, Roxas gave her a look that seemed to say, "Are you really being a hypocrite again in not wanting to fight, when I know you yourself were about to?"

But even in his anger, Roxas was kind enough to, in an aggravated gesture, pull on her mutilated arm, so as to heal it again, before summoning an orb of Light into his hand, that made one red haired girl run closer to Roxas-as if trying to steal it (but a well placed kick to her abdomen through her off, as Roxas moved away from her and dragged the bottom of his pants along the ground to get grass stains)-and for the same boy from before to draw a pistol and aim it at Roxas.

Naminé gasped audibly, wondering if maybe she should have been using her powers to help their situation out, despite what she wanted, but Roxas seemed to have the situation well in hand. He used the type of telekinesis that Sora had access to in Final Form, and sent the young man's weapon cascading away from him, before it ended up being spitted onto the ground.

Then, while everyone else seemed distracted by Roxas' power-or scared of him, even-Roxas latched onto Naminé's hand, and began running from the crowd with her.

As they ran-and Naminé ended up getting a stint in her side that hurt _immensely_, Roxas kept saying words of wisdom to her, to keep egging her on. And it was that reason alone that the witch became aware of a dangerous truth:

Roxas… he was coming to care about her way too much, which was… unfair and dangerous to him. But what was worse was that Naminé was beginning to feel much the same way.

In fact, in stopping for just a moment, Roxas paused to take a better look at Naminé's arm-to see if it was done healing all the way-and Nami felt her heart fluttering a mile a minute at his concern.

"Well, if you're done spacing out, Naminé, I forgot to mention that I used a quick Warp spell to hide Sora and Kairi's bodies from our pursuers. We're still dragging them along, of course, but nobody can see them, and that pocket of air around 'em should keep them from getting banged up too much.

"Anyway, let's get a move on, and check over the rest of this area. The sooner we figure this shit out, the sooner I can get ta finding a better life. One that's hopefully not all about Sora."

And though Roxas added the last bit in a hushed manner, and as an after thought, Naminé couldn't help but smile. It was subtle, but it was there: by having not said that loudly or angrily, Roxas had proven he was improving little by little, and maybe even feeling a bit happy, if Nami dared hope it.

And like she'd once told Axel what now felt like a lifetime ago to the Nobody, there was no denying that Roxas had a heart, and maybe... Maybe there was even hope for her, too.

Even if she was once again lying, by not telling him he'd learned the "Warp" spell from Ventus. Even then.

And it was at the thought of that possible absolution (an absolution that would never truly come, but still an absolution nonetheless), that Naminé began walking beside Roxas less frantically, and with pep in her step, as she pulled at her intertwined fingers just a little bit less in her strain.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. I won't space out like that again. So let's talk about the vision I had, as we walk towards that little stage over there." _And hopefully get_ there _faster than_ _we have everywhere else, if Sora and Kairi's bodies weight will cooperate just a little bit more_, Naminé thought a bit ruefully and bitterly, before getting a better handle on herself.

"Anyway," she continued on, as she ran to keep up with Roxas to inform him, and purposefully looked away from how everyone seemed to be gathered around this world's mayor, as she didn't want to get distracted by such random things again. "Though what I saw of the girl with blue hair leaves many questions, I think we need to focus more on the redheaded mother that I saw was in this world. A mother that might even be Kairi's future self, if how much she looks like her is a given!"

Though Naminé couldn't predict the future _per se_, her insight into many people's memories usually gave her enough knowledge that she could fathom what could and _would_ happen with certain people.

She wasn't so sure now, but it was still a possibility that couldn't be ignored.

Anything concerning a future-Kairi concerned her, after all, so this lead was definitely a start.

And who knew? If this really _was _a future version of Kairi like Nami suspected, maybe she had even investigated the static problem-with a future Sora and Riku-and could give her answers about how to combat the stuff. Naminé had yet to give up hope for that answer.

And if she had survived to the future, then that had to have meant that Kairi had survived whatever Xehanort was planning, so… did that mean that she and Roxas would succeed in their endeavor, and that this whole thing was a paradox?

And as Naminé's head began hurting at all her scattered thoughts, she found that she really didn't want to think about all of this anymore.

After all, though in many ways, she was as innocent as she'd always been, her time as a captive of the Organization _had_ made her the wiser to many things she wish she didn't know.

_Just because Kairi might be alive in this time and place, doesn't mean that she's not Xehanort's slave or something worse_, Naminé reminded herself with such hatred (mainly because if Xehanort enslaved Kairi, he would also have her again, too) that she bit her tongue and wasn't surprised at all when it drew much blood. That was what she got for being angry, whilst tripping over tree branches, she guessed.

And… it would not do if Roxas were to see this, after having just scolded her for hating herself too much, so that left only one option: to walk slower behind him, so that he wouldn't figure it out, but to make sure she didn't lose full sight of him, either.

It would be bad if she started smacking into the invisible Sora and Kairi that Roxas had hidden away from everyone (even her) and therefore ruined their "normal" guise.

But interrupting that thought of Naminé's in its entirety, was that she was now hearing someone talking about the very people she'd come all this way to find. And what was even worse, was that it seemed everyone that _had_ been attacking them had gathered to the weird golf course (and all ready, Naminé hated that she was on the wrong side of the area, and was going to have to run the entire area of it to get where she needed to-hot sand from the turf probably getting through her sandals and burning her all the while), and seemed to think of the "Diffys" as Public Enemy No. 1.

"And don't forget," the mayor continued on with his rant, as he pushed his massive blue vest with its ridiculous collar up even closer to his neck-Roxas particularly scowled at that. "Elect me, and I'll make sure these Diffys never hurt people with their Skyaks, Wizards, or static electricity ever again."

"Roxas!" Naminé exclaimed with such confidence that it honestly surprised her. Apparently the shock of hearing what she just had, had erased any thought of guilt-or the need to keep up pretenses-from her mind.

For the first time that Naminé could ever remember, she'd said something just to say it, and not with some sort of ulterior motive behind it. And she had done so for the sake of her and Roxas' task.

For a moment, that idea had Naminé so lost in thought (and amazed that the thoughts _weren't_ choking her like a toxin, as they usually seemed to), that she missed that Roxas was reacting much the same way.

"Static-like the stuff that we've been experiencing, that might spell the end for us. Did you hear him mention that, Naminé?! That must be why we're here! These people are gonna give us our answer to alleviating our problem! C'mon, let's go over there and figure this stuff out!"

The look that Roxas wore on his face then, looked like what a kid might be feeling in witnessing Christmas for the first time. He looked absolutely gleeful.

And Naminé, with a sudden frog in her throat, found that even though all of this had to do with Roxas and his safety as much as it did her… she didn't want him to be pulled into this mess of hers at all. She didn't want him to have part in it: She wanted to-

She wanted to spare him any pain, unlike what she had done with Sora.

_But he- but he looks very interested and excited about this; he hasn't looked this happy since I pulled him away from his trio of friends in Twilight Town, so I-,_ Naminé thought to herself, as she gazed at Roxas' expression, and aimed not to let her too pale eyes give away any of her thoughts to him. _I'll let him figure this one thing out with me, then, and then I'll set him free from myself and all these burdens_.

"Ya think this might be what that Joshua kid was talking about when he said, 'the world is whatever someone needs it to be?'" Roxas continued on-scratching the back of his head confusedly, as he headed with Nami over the sand and where they needed to be.

And he- he seemed _so_ much like Sora in that instance, that Naminé instantly wanted to cry and cry and never stop crying, for reasons that she couldn't even begin to understand.

And for it, Naminé promised herself even _moreso_ that she wouldn't let Roxas have any stake in this nonsense, but she… she still took his hand in her own, like he had hers earlier.

She still began leading him through the putt-putt course herself, and to the odd podium where the mayor-according to the stickers on people's shirts-was winding his message down.

And it wasn't until she noticed that her sandals were beginning to sink through the oppressive rain (the rain that the dark, dark sky showcased), that Naminé realize how late it was now in the evening (which was just _fantastic_, as she worried that the Dark of the night might once again stir up the ire of their earlier attackers towards them).

But most importantly… Naminé realized that this could be no regular town meeting, then. This was an emergency meeting.

And there was only one family that was getting the most hate, from people that seemed to feel hate for _everything_. The mob once again looked murderous. And standing right there in the midst of it all, were all the people that Naminé had described to Roxas from her vision.

And though Roxas might have gasped in that realization himself, Naminé knew that the true sound of horror she'd heard had come from herself.

And while it was somewhat true that she'd taken note of the one blonde girl during the town leader's speech, because he had looked at this girl accusingly, when talking about the static Naminé, she really hadn't examined her at all.

She should have, though—Naminé realized now—because who else would be surrounding the less important, chubby girl—and the graying mayor—besides the _father_ with graying hair, a red haired mother (who didn't seem to be Kairi, after all, though Nami still felt the faintest bit connected to her in someway), the little blonde girl who seemed to be a bit of an outsider, and the spiky haired brunet who seemed to be a bit like Sora?

As Roxas gazed over at her worriedly, Naminé knew that he was thinking the exact same things that she was. They had found a family that was meant to be their own, but as the family was now being openly persecuted, they had no way of even reaching them.

For a moment, there was a hare's breadth of silence, as the mayor and his cohorts-that hadn't been around them before, like many of the others-seemed to take in Naminé and Roxas' weird essence before them.

Just then, Naminé meant to give the family a small smile of encouragement, but with how stressed and worried she was pretending to feel, she wasn't sure how well it had come out. And it was at that moment, that the smile truly imprinted itself upon the Nobody's face, that all hell broke lose.

It happened so soon, in fact, that Naminé didn't even really have time to change her expression, as people began charging towards her once again, and nothing but the cruel sound of chaos rang throughout the area.

As she swallowed fearfully, Naminé imagined that she very well might just get slaughtered with the stupid look she was currently wearing on her face.

And so, she would, in every way, then, look like the monster that she really was: she would look as though she were a corpse that had been slaughtered on her wedding day, waiting for the opportunity of revenge to present itself to her.

And even if Naminé knew she was just torturing herself now, with her stupid thoughts, the one thing that remained the most poignant in her mind was that…

She did not belong to Roxas, and nor would she ever. This was not her wedding day, and it never would be. This was nothing but a half-baked rescue mission that had gone wrong, if anyone could even call it that.

And as it happened, Roxas had never been one to sit idly back when his life was on the line. And so it was no surprise at all, really, that Roxas ended up summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his side (and as he did so, the static in Naminé chose to sting _her_ for some peculiar reason), and he began attacking their assailants via an array of bright Light.

And though Naminé knew that Roxas had used this particular attack in the past-and it had horrified and dazzled Naminé's eyes both in the way that it currently was now)-the truth of the matter was he wasn't using it as an attack this time: it was just meant to confuse his combatants, and allow Roxas to get the upper edge.

And as Sora's memories came to Naminé of their own accord, then, she surmised that this was probably why Sora had had such a hard time fighting Roxas on their shared heart platform: Sora was only used to attacking without thought, so when illusion was thrown into a mix, he was easily always a gonner.

Naminé… knew that better than anyone: everything awful _had _come to be from her illusion, her mistake.

Yes, that fake charm she'd "given" Sora still weighed heavily on Naminé's own artificial heart. And on more morbid days, she even found herself wondering if it somehow took the place of what was meant to be her _real_ heart. The thing _did_ make her bleed emotionally, just as much as a heart was meant to pump blood naturally.

"Roxas, what are you doing?!" Naminé was quick to demand of her companion, as she took to cowering behind him-motioning for the Diffys to try and find a way to do the same, if they could. Meanwhile, the brainwashed seeming people seemed to be being blinded by Roxas' power, and those that weren't found themselves falling to her own fists, when they tried to sneak at Roxas from behind.

But even so, Naminé didn't think it would do them much good. Roxas' strength was half what it was now-and they had Sora and Kairi to worry about. "Can't you use something more effect- Eep!"

In the end, Naminé didn't get her answer, as she got knocked down, everything kept dancing around her, and even her own imaginings moved in such a fast way that she couldn't keep up with them.

In many ways, that was what Naminé thought her own life could easily be summed up as: things moving in front of her, before she had even the faintest hope of grabbing onto them and making them stay.

As Roxas' attack seemed to draw much too much power into itself-and had caught everyone off guard, as it exploded without control, into multi-faceted prisms of Light-Roxas seemed to use the affect to serve as another purpose:

To then push the orbs away from himself-so that they created _rows_ void of Light, amongst the dim Darkness-so that he, Naminé, and their targeted family could go between the columns-and escape-whilst everyone else still seemed lost to them.

However, one of the many problems with that idea was that Naminé was feeling disoriented and as slow as molasses; her skintight dress didn't really help in getting her mobile, either.

So, seeming like he couldn't do anything else to escape like they needed to, Roxas picked Nami up and began running with her-despite her many protests that he couldn't run with himself, her, and Sora and Kairi and be possibly okay-but he did so, anyway.

And Naminé ever traitorous to herself, and to everyone and everything else, even found herself mildly enjoying it, and falling the slightest bit in love, as he jostled her away from their impending enemy.

And later, Naminé would war with herself that the reason Roxas had held her in such a way, and had took off down a path while carrying her, was only so that they could get away from the park with their skin intact. Though to be honest, she was starting to expect that his reason was turning into something else entirely.

But she- she didn't even want this! Roxas had said he'd hated her, right? And so he'd later remember, when the danger was no longer upon him, that he felt that way, and he'd leave her hollow all over again.

Right now, he was only being good to her like Sora himself would be in such disasters. As deep down—despite how often he tried to deny it—Roxas _was_ Sora. And it was that thought that unnerved Naminé the most.

So willing not to focus on that, she instead opted for something else: a certain someone named "Yoshiya Kiryu" that she'd heard in her head earlier, willing to guide her in some way.

As she did so, though, Naminé found that she wasn't predicting the future this time at all, but was actually seeing the present.

And maybe in compensation for that fact, the static within Naminé swelled even more to a threatening level, and nearly consumed everything in its grasp.

…

_"I- I don't understand, exactly, why you mean to help me, Joshua. With what you said the last time we spoke, I-" _

_And even if her tone was accusing in that moment, and far too casual to be talking with someone such as Joshua, it was what it was. _

_After all, whenever Naminé was feeling spunkier like this, she would find herself saying things like she'd always meant to, but still not actually being able to face the hurdles themselves. In might have been a slight improvement to her person, she supposed, but it still royally sucked._

_Like right now? She was taking to doing something that she had done around Marluxia. Though Naminé made sure to drift her head to the side every now and then, to face the Composer when needed (as she usually made sure to face herself far away from people, for it made everything easier that way), she also made sure that her hair spilled over her eyes in a certain way, so that she could spite them. _

_What she did gave the illusion to them that she didn't deem herself good enough to look into her adversaries' eyes, but more often than not, she was actually being _disrespectful_ with the gesture, rather than respectful. Such people didn't deserve the benefit of being considered in the slightest._

_"Hmm..." Shibuya's supervisor drawled lazily, as he took to crossing one of his legs over the other, and regarding her with the most calculating look that Naminé had ever seen. _

_At that, the memory witch found herself crossing and uncrossing her ankles self-consciously. The way Joshua was sitting in his throne in the Dead God's Pad, and eyeing Naminé over the way he was, didn't comfort her in the slightest. _

_In fact, she even found herself feeling very naked, and somehow violated. _

_As such, Naminé hoped _very_ strongly that Joshua wasn't thinking of violating her. He didn't seem the type to do such things, she thought hopefully, but the way that his "Fish Noise" were leaping at her from the glass tank beneath her feet-in reaction to some of her negativity, she presumed- didn't leave her feeling too confident. _

_She was all ready turning to static, thank you very much, and she didn't need the fiends beneath her to help that idea along, by trying to Erase her like they did Players in Joshua's Game._

_And only then seeming to remember that Naminé's consciousness was in his room with him (and boy did Naminé ever feel bad now, for how bad Roxas must have felt when she'd talked to him about hurtful things in the White Room), Joshua clapped his hands together, and then gave Naminé a once over. _

_Clearly, he'd remembered his manners, and had noticed that it was rude to think of a gambit for someone, when they were standing right there in front of you! _

_And as anger began boiling within Naminé from the inside out, she tried to starve off the urge to answer the riddle that Joshua was now telling her, with as much of a silvery and manipulative tongue, that he himself had... _

_Or even that Vanitas did, maybe._

_"Oh my, oh my," Joshua said with so much glee and malice in his purple eyes, that Naminé wanted to retch on the spot. His eye color was just so much like Kairi's-and therefore so much like her own-that she couldn't take seeing the pure color contaminated in such a way! _

_And who even knew what Joshua was doing to Kairi's consciousness at the moment, seeing as how it was still tethered to the blonde's own, and far too close to Joshua's reach for comfort, Naminé thought._

_"Naminé, I think you've heard some very nasty rumors about this static stuff, dear. Shibuya is _nothing_, but static at the end of the day, and the same thing can be said for the other UGs, too-so normally, it's really nothing to fear in the slightest._

"_Why, though, did you go to a silly girl that learned how to use static electricity to _harm_ a rival?! That really wasn't one of your better choices, was it? …Oh, wait. I think I actually know the answer to that. You went there particularly for the ginger you thought to be Kairi, didn't you? Except _that's_ not even your real reason for it, is it? You went to that woman because you're starting to see your _own_ self with similar hair. _

"_Hehehe. It never was the best color on you, you know." _

_And though Joshua had adopted his signature pose of arching his fingers against his forehead, and smirking like even more of a jerk than usual, there was no denying that there was some truth to his words. He also seemed to know a lot more than what he was telling, but that was just par for the course with him, wasn't it? _

_And so, even though Naminé wished nothing more than to leave the terrible place she was in-that was far too similar to her bad memories, and to tell Rhyme, who she seemed to be connected to somehow, to get away from Joshua as soon as possible-Nami__né_ _was able to hold her ground__._

_Or moreover, she fell right through it. _

_Falling to the floor without any strength left in the world (like Ventus had been like, she supposed, when he'd learned the truth about his origins), Naminé meant to seem submissive to Joshua-so that he might take pity on her, and tell her what she wanted-but really… she was just so tired. So tired. _

_She'd never been meant for anything like this adventure was shaping up to be. She'd never been meant for_ anything, _actually, so it was probably meaningless to do what she was doing now. _

_But still… for some unknown reason she couldn't even fathom, Naminé still held onto a promise: a promise that she really had no intention and ability to keep, and had all ready ruined, but... a name still fell from her lips at the thought of it. And funnily enough, it wasn't Sora she was thinking about at all, but rather it was… Roxas. It was Roxas. _

_"What Xehanort said to Roxas before all of this... I need you- I need you to help him." And though Naminé found some minuscule strength left in herself then-so that she could lift her head up, and look at Joshua pleadingly-the face of a helpful patron was not what she ended up seeing._

_Suddenly, Joshua was right therein front of Naminé, his knees resting right before her knees, and before she could react at all, he put a hand on her shoulder, saying with devilish eyes, "I'm going to awaken your passions for Roxas, Nami. You're a Nobody, who is meant to _be _body, after all."_

_And when his now burning hands moved to Naminé's forehead, she found that she screamed as thoroughly as Roxas had when he'd remembered his past. _

_And as Naminé felt that she wanted to wither into a hole and die, she noted that her consciousness was now trapped with Joshua. No: that wasn't right; her consciousness was trapped in_ general.

_She couldn't make it back to Roxas now, and the one that she was now with in her own memory (how ironic, that the memory witch was trapped in her own memories, she snarled), was one that she hated. She absolutely hated him. _

_As Naminé cried out into the night then-and for someone, anyone to help her-she thought she might driver herself into a near a coma trying to fight this, as she once again began hurting herself (though Joshua would never allow that with his perfect plan, she guessed), Naminé didn't even have time to realize that it really was her own heart being affected: that she had her own heart. _

_Instead, she focused on the floor she'd earlier feared opening up beneath her, her screaming as she fell, and the new, mysterious thing that she stayed locked inside her own head for, in trying to see it and understand it._

**Author's Note: Okay, where do I even begin talking about this story? I guess I'll start with the bad stuff:**

**Unfortunately, I only have two more (long) chapters of this done. And though I, years ago, meant to make this a long story and to finish it, I don't know if I'm going to do that now for certain reasons. I**

**f I get inspired, or if this story gets a lot of support, I might go further with it, but right now it's a bit up in the air. Sorry:( **

**The two chapters I do have done all ready WILL be posted, though. I can at least promise you all that much.**

**Also, this is a story I wrote back when… I kinda hated Naminé (there, I said it!), and didn't like RokuNami that much. In fact, I WROTE this story to see if there was a way I could like both, if I wrote them in a certain way that appeased my qualms, and I'm pleased to say that it worked!**

**I LOVE Nami's character now (and can't believe I ever hated her), and I'm really starting to like RokuNami as a pairing again.**

**My main problem with anything Namixas related (and with Naminé herself, I guess), is just how people write them at times. Naminé has a TON of flaws and insecurities, yet most of the stories I see with her don't seem to deal with that at all.**

**Likewise, I do think that Roxas and Nami could work well together as a pairing, but I feel like they would have a LOT to work out before they even became FRIENDS, let alone anything else. **

**For instance, though it may have been through circumstances higher than herself and out of her control, Naminé IS the reason that Roxas lost Xion (which is the "trump card" that Nami mentions she's selfishly hiding from Roxas in this chapter, btw). And you're darn tootin' that Roxas would probably be FURIOUS about that at first, and even hate Naminé for a time if/when he found that out, and yet… That never seems to come up in anyone's fics for these two at all. At least not that I've seen.**

**So by dealing with those things here—those problems I had with the pair—I'd hoped that maybe I could write a version of them that I liked, that felt realistic, that maybe other people would enjoy, too, and thus this whole thing was born.**

**Also, this story was originally going to be dedicated to all of my awesome RokuNami shipping friends (whom I probably never would have done this story without. LOL.), but now I don't know if I'm going to do that (for Liz, Dina, Dani, and Josh, I mean), because I feel as though they deserve better than this? IDK. **

**But if any of you four ARE reading this, and remember me talking about it, this was my secret story that I'd excitedly hinted at to you guys a LONG time ago.**

**Now, moving on: No, your eyes have not deceived you, Phil of the Future—mainly the Diffy family—stuff was/is going to be in this story. That was another thing I was doing when writing this: seeing if I could put live action characters from a Disney show into KH and have it work. **

**The main reason I did so, though, is because after DDD came out… and I HATED what they did with the time travel stuff, I wanted some sort of normal time travel thing to combat it, and thus I thought of the Diffys, because their entire show was about them having a time machine, being from the future, etc. But you'll see more on that all later.**

**Also, there was an episode when Pim used static electricity to her advantage once, and thus was another reason I included PotF here, as static stuff is going on with RokuNami, too.**

…**And with the TWEWY universe. TWEWY also became a part of this story, probably because Joshua's so powerful and knowing, that he's hard to resist putting into fics like this, and for other reasons and similarities (and because I was on a TWEWY and Joshua hype when I wrote this all: shh).**

**So that's the bare bones of this story, folks. That, and one plot point that I won't spoil just yet, in case I do decide to continue this…**

**And in case you're wondering what some of the stuff Nami is thinking about in this chapter are, some of it is memories of Aqua, the entire BbS crew (as she accessed Ven's memories when repairing Sora's, apparently), and the future DDD stuff approaching. I don't feel the need to keep all that a secret anymore. And the bad future she imagined happening, that she didn't even want to think about, is Xehanort's plan with the thirteen vessels.**

**If I had to pick one thing that bothers me about this story (and there are quite a few gripes I have about my old writing and mistakes), it's that I felt like this chapter was way too much in Nami's head, even though that was kinda the point, to show her issues and troubled/tortured thoughts? IDK. But, anyway…**

**There are a few other things that bugged me that I wanted to mention, but this author's note is getting long enough as is, so I'm going to leave it here.**

**Here's hoping I remembered to address everything I needed to, though… And here's hoping that at least some of you enjoyed this story:D**

**Welp, thanks for reading, and please review!**

**-Shanna **

**Edit: Why the heck is this chapter so long?!**


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